Relief for struggling clubs

1:46PM GMT 10 Dec 2003

Football fans have welcomed the Chancellor's decision to review the tax position of supporters' trusts for football clubs.

Supporters Direct, the Government-backed organisation to help fans set up supporters trusts and get involved in owning and running their clubs, have welcomed Gordon Brown's move made in the pre-Budget speech.

"Supporters' trusts up and down the country will be delighted," said chairman Andy Burnham MP.

"It is a recognition of the huge role trusts are playing in saving some of our game's great club names and in bringing the game back to its community roots.

"We hope it will herald an enormous advance of mutual values and supporter ownership within the game.

"Despite the present financial difficulties the game faces, we now have a chance to steer the game away from the unhealthy money culture of private greed and back to community values."

In his speech, Mr Brown acknowledged the importance of sport to the country and promised additional rate relief for amateur sports clubs as well as doubling the threshold at which they have to pay corporation tax.